The CIO Paradox: Part 1

Change is one of life’s constants. Some folks embrace it; others avoid it. But most often, it will happen whether you like it or not.

We are on the precipice of a huge change, an evolution even, when it comes to Information Technology. And it will be felt across the organization. These changes are predicated by an increasingly mobile workforce and the cloud. In private lives, consumers are constantly being exposed to new applications and services delivered via the web and mobile apps. They are designed to be easily learned and simple to use. This experience impacts the individual and their expectations for how they can engage, access, communicate and conduct business in their professional lives … enterprise consumerization.

With enterprise consumerization, the traditional ways of managing, securing, and supporting workforces, apps, and data don’t always meet business needs. IT teams must redesign their delivery models for emerging mobile and cloud technologies. To reap the full benefits of consumer device and application innovations, you need a platform that collapses the traditional silos between mobile, desktop and even line-of-business application management.

In parallel, CIO’s are being asked to be more strategic when it comes to creating a competitive advantage, and going to market with new products and services, WHILE managing traditional IT responsibilities.

Training – can we train existing employees to learn these new skills or do we need to hire new?

Certification – new skill sets and certifications will emerge and become required to manage these new technologies

Process: Break down the (IT) silos

IT needs to manage ALL user concerns/ user experience, and each specialty area will overlap into the other (network, storage, security). Silos must be removed and cross-communications will be critical.

Provisioning – organizations will need to provide timely and secure access to the data, tools and resources employees need

End-to-end services

Cloud based processes – many organizations are somewhere on the path to the cloud; how is the current infrastructure impacted? Do organizations need to jump with both feet into the cloud?

Organization: Optimize for CloudCloud helps IT simplify rollout, centralize management, and scale infrastructure based on business needs. Cloud solutions enable a shift from a CapEx to an OpEx model. IT gains better control over costs and the flexibility to adapt to changing business requirements

Cross-functional teams work together to support end-to-end services

New governance models are required to help monitor and manage

DevOps integration, allowing for easy updates and improvements – build apps at the “speed of need” leveraging an agile platform like the cloud

Automation will play a big part in enabling IT professionals and leaders to manage all they have on their plates, helping them to focus on how to move their organization forward.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of The CIO Paradox to learn how digital workers (robotic process automation) will be a route to a more strategic IT organization.

“The relationship between technology and people has to change in the future for the better, and I think RPA is one of the great tools to enable that change.”